Highway guard fence



Feb. 23, 1 932.

R. L. STOCKARD HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Filed March 21, 1930 I INVENTQR XL. 157001701 0 BY Mari ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES ROBERT L. STOCKARD, OENASHVILLE, TENNESSEE HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE RHSSUE Application filed March 21, 1930. Serial No. 437,860.

This invention appertains to improvements in safety guards generally, and more particularly to fence or railing types of such devices which are to be installed along streets, highways and the like to prevent moving bodies, such as vehicles from leaving the roadway on curve and other points where otherwise accidents and possible loss of life may result.

An object of the invention is to provide a 1 fence or railing structure of the class set forth which is comparatively simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and install and highly effective and eflicient in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure as hereinbefore characterized which will operate to guide a vehicle along the edge of the roadway during any tendency of the same to leave the road sidewise and to prevent the vehicle froni leaving 3 the roadway otherwise.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of means whereby the fence or railing structure will be unaffected by expansion or contraction from natural causes and will resist and absorb shocks incident to impact of vehicles against the same with the least possible chance of damage thereto or to the vehicle themselves.

With the foregoing and other equally important objects and advantages in view, the

invention resides in the certain new and useful construction, combination and arrangement ofparts as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of roadway, showing a practical installation of the im roved guard fence or railing thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the end section of the fence or railing as shown in Figure 1 Figure 3 is a perspective view of adjacent end portions of a pair of companion rail sections, showing the same in position for joinder;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; I

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a post and bracket structure per se;

Figure 6 isa perspective view of the post engaging end of the guy member or end brace; and

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the upper portlon of an end fence post and showing the mode of engagement therewith of the attach mg loop end of the deadman or brace, which is also in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate correspondmg parts throughout the several views thereof and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the embodiment of the invention, as shown therem by way of example only, is generally constituted in a series of spaced intermediateposts 21 and end posts 22 arranged at deslred points along one or both sides of a street or highway just outwardly of the edge or edges of the road bed substantially as is shown in Figure 1.

Each group of the posts 21 and-22 are to support at least two guard rails at the inner sides thereof in superposed parallel relation, the upperguard rail 23 being preferably of less width than the lower guard rail 24. 75 Each of these guard rails 23 and 24 is preferably made .up of two or more lengths or sections joined together in end to end overlapped relation. These sections will preferably be made in i at least two standard lengths, one beingfsubstantially twice the length of the other.

In making a joint between adjacent rail ends, the latter will preferably have short pieces of the same spot welded on the opposed faces of the overlapped end portions thereof, as at 23 (Figure 3), so that the pieces will be disposed in juxta-position and preferably with their opposed end edges in abutted relation, when the rail ends are" brought together. The abutted edge of one of the said pieces 23' will preferably be cut to concaved shape and the other made convex, which will permit ofthe self alinement of the rail sections to compensate for variation 95 of road bed and all vertical curves. Holes for the bolts 25- will be drilled or punched through the overlapped ends of the rail sections, with certain of the same passing through the portions 23', by which arrangement a joint of maximum strength will be provided.

In erecting a fence or railing of this character, the end posts 22 each will preferably be braced in one direction lengthwise of the fence or railing by means of a timber or the like 26 positioned diagonally between the up per end thereof and thelower end orfoot portion of an adjacent intermediate post 21,

and in the opposite direction to a ground stake or the like 27. The brace or dead man for the latter purpose is made up of a closed loop portion 28, to be engaged over the upper end of the adjacent end post 22, and

a straight shank portion 28 extending from v.27 and in screw threaded engagement with a nut 31. Interposed between the outer side of the anchor 27 and the nut 31 is an angled washer or the like 32 which cooperates with the nut 31 in a manner to sustain the rod rigidly in axial alinement with the turn buckle 29 and the shank 28 at all times.

The invention contemplates no provision for the positive or rigid securing of the upper end lower rails 23 and 24 to the posts 21 and 22 but to the contrary the same are mounted in position on the inner sides of the post by means of brackets or the like which readily admit of independent movements of the rails relatively to the post and brackets, whether under the influence of expansion and contraction effects due to variable weather conditions or impacts from vehicles.

To this latter end, and as shown, the separate bracket members 33 are provided and each consists of a flat plate which has its opposite upper end lower edges angularly bent to form opposed channeled lugs 33 to receive a guard rail between the same after the manner of the support of the rails in the first instances of the invention. In this case, the upper of the brackets is mounted on the projecting end of a securing bolt 34 passed through a post and is held in spaced relation to the opposed face of the post by means of a coil spring 35 engaged on the bolt end. A hearing plate or washer 36 is also engaged on the bolt 34 and isinterposed between the inner end of the coil spring 35 and the post substantially as shown. Similarly, the lower bracket is mounted on the outer projected ends of a pair of bolts 34 and is cushioned on companion coil springs 35 carried on the b ends at the outer sides of companion bearing plates or washers 36.

Again referring to Figures 1 and 2, it is to be noted that a tensioning device or shock absorber structure is provided for coopera- 'of a vehicle at the inner sides of the latter.

Each of these devices is preferably constituted in a rod section 37, extending parallel to the outer side of a rail adjacent an end thereof and inwardly of the adjacent end post 22. This rod section 37 has its inner end fixedly secured to a mounting 38 which is, in turn, secured in any suitable manner to the opposed side of the rail. The outer or free end of the rod section 37 is connected to one end of a turn buckle or the like 39, which has its opposite end connected to the inner end of a second rod section 40 mounted in the post 22. The outer end ofthis rod section 40 projects from the outer side of the post 22 and has a nut 41 screw threaded thereon at the outer side of a washer 42. Interposed between the washer 42 and a second washer 43 bearing directly against the adjacent side of the post is a coil spring 44.

From this latter arrangement it will be obvious that, with the tension devices or shock absorber opposing each other at the of each of the end posts 22 will preferably be angularly shouldered to seat the front end portion of the looped brace portion 28 flat on the same in order that the parts of each of the braces will be in axial alinement at all times and the bracing efiect thereof will be' substantially smooth surface will be pre-- sented to the opposite line of trafiic.

Without further description, it is thought that the features and advantages of the mvention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it Wlll of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

I claim:

' 1. A guard fence of the class described comprising a series of posts spaced alon side a roadway, a support secured to the sid each of said posts facin the roadway, a continuous len h of flexib e metal rail inserted eof.

through each of the upper and lower sets of said supports, compressible means interposed between each of sa1d supports and posts, and spring tensioning means connecting the opposite end portions of each rail to the ad a- 5 cent end osts and in a. manner to oppose any bucklm of the rails under im act.

2. A guar fence of the class descri d comprising a seriesof posts spaced alongside a roadway, upper and lower brackets carried on the side of each of said posts facing the roadway, a continuous length of flexible metal rail inserted through the upper and lower sets of said brackets, s ring means interposed between said hrac ets and said posts,

and spring means connecting the opposite end portions of each of said rails to the adjacent end posts" and in a manner to tension the rails against undue buckling movements under impact, said first named sprin means acting to absorb shocks imparted to t e rails when impacted.

3. A guard fence of the class described comprising a series of posts spaced alon side a roadway, brackets spaced vertica y of said osts and facing the roadway, a continuous ength of flexib e metal rail inserted through companion brackets on said posts, compressible means interposed between said brackets 'and said'posts, tensioning means connecting the opposite end portions of eac said rails to the adjacent of end lpfislts and in a manner to oppose undue buc movements under impact, said compressib e means acting-to absorb shocks imparted to the rails when impacted, and means for bracing said end posts in opposition to the strains and stresses on said rails and said tensioning means.

4. The guard fence as set forth in claim 3 and having the lowermost of said rails of ROBERT L. STOGKABD.

' a greater width than that of the uppermost thereof whereby the greater strain of impact will be concentrated toward the grounded portions of said posts. 

